GUWAHATI, Sept 29 - With the publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Border wing of the Assam Police is ready with the software for ensuring smooth process of filing of appeals by those left out of the NRC and disposal of the appeals by the appellate Foreigners� Tribunals, which are being set up for the process. Meanwhile, the implementation of the Electronic Foreigners� Tribunals (EFT) scheme along with the much needed common data base is at its final stage.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Special Director General of Police in charge of the Border Police force, BJ Mahanta pointed out that extensive use of information technology would make the process of appeals and disposal of it by the Tribunals smooth. He said that the Border Police website for those who want to appeal before the Tribunals after their names were left out of the NRC would start functioning as soon as the State NRC Coordinator�s Office starts issuing the rejection slips.
Giving details of the process, the Special DGP said that the people left out of the NRC would be able to submit their details online and after doing so, they would come to know to which Foreigners� Tribunal they should appeal within 120 days from receipt of the rejection slip.
As soon as such persons file their details online, they would receive an appeal memo. When such persons file appeals before the Tribunals, the Border police personnel would check their rejection slips and Application Receipt Numbers (ARN) given by the NRC Coordinator�s Office at the time of submission of applications for inclusion of names in the NRC. After such persons file appeals before the Tribunals, they would be given a unique identity number.
State Government has already collected the biometrics of some of the persons left out of the NRC during the process of hearings and the Giometrics of the persons who appeal before the Tribunals would also be collected. In fact, from now on, whenever the Border Police refers any case to the Tribunals, the biometrics of the person concerned would be collected.
Mahanta said that the Deputy Commissioners would have to prepare individual NRC case files with details of the persons left out of the NRC for the benefit of the Tribunals hearing their cases and it will be the responsibility of the offices of the DCs to ensure that the concerned persons receive the notices from the Tribunals on time. As such persons were already issued notices on several occasions for NRC hearings, it should not be a difficult job to ensure that the notices reach the persons on time. Finally, after examining the files received from the DCs and hearing the applicants, the Tribunals would have to give judgment on whether a person is an Indian citizen or a foreigner.
Meanwhile, the process of implementation of the EFT scheme is going on in full swing and it is likely to become fully operational from March next year. Mahanta had submitted a concept paper to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the EFT scheme along with a common data base as poor record keeping was creating havoc in dealing with the issue of infiltration of foreigners. The MHA has accepted it with a few additional points. Mahanta pointed out that after the new scheme becomes fully operational, all the Foreigners� Tribunals would be linked through information technology and the stakeholders would know the verdicts of all the Tribunals. As soon as any person is declared as a foreigner by any of the Tribunals, all the stakeholders would come to know immediately. It will immensely benefit all the stakeholders including the Border Police, Election Commission Ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs etc.
